Chretien de Troyes

Very little is known about Chrétien de Troyes, one of the most influential authors of the Middle Ages, and the man considered the inventor of Arthurian romance.

Chrétien lived in late 12th century France, perhaps near Troyes. However, it is possible that he referred to himself as “of Troyes” because of connections to Marie de Champagne, whose court assembled there. Medievalist John Baldwin also suggests that Chrétien's name might simply indicate an instance of his deft irony: his first...

Chretien de Troyes Essays

One of the key indicators of the effectiveness of a romantic tale is whether those who hear it fall entirely under the spell of the hero as he takes on an idealized, larger-than-life status, becoming everything which the listener could ever want...